Category Archives: Book Reviews

The Engineer Trilogy

I finished Evil for Evil, the second book in the Engineer trilogy written by K.J. Parker. It’s an odd series, one that I’m finding myself increasingly sucked into. The basic plot goes something like this: the engineer Ziani Vaatzes engineered a war to be reunited with his family. Of course it’s not so simple. It’s less a traditional fantasy than an alternate world with different cultures and whatnot. The first two books were thick—over 600 page and I was surprised to find the third book come in at merely 400. How are is Parker going to close this trilogy? Hopefully I’ll find out tonight.

Has anyone else read these or other books by the author?

Shark’s Fin and Sichuan Peppers by Fuchsia Dunlop

Somehow I imagined this book as a travelogue/memoir of Fuschia Dunlop’s travels around China, sampling all sorts of exotic foods. This turned out to be only part of a wonderful and engaging book with much larger themes.

The English author began in the Sichuan region, moving to Chengdu to research Chinese policy on ethnic minorities at Sichuan University. There she succumbs to the lure of street food, spending more and more time exploring the kitchens of Chengdu rather than actual studying. She spends a month taking formal cooking classes at the Sichuan Institute of Higher Cuisine, which shows her the most basic elements. And then, instead of returning to England, she joined a three month professional chef’s training course. As the only Western student and one of three women in the class, Dunlop has a lot to learn besides figuring out the Sichuan dialect.

Dunlop also spends a lot of time exploring the differences in attitude toward food. The Chinese prize a lot of food that Westerners find from repugnant to abhorrent. Some of it comes down to texture, as in the Sea Cucumber, described by the author herself as looking like “fossilised turds.” Preparing them is laborious. You must salt-roast them or char them first. Then soak them in hot water until they are soft enough to be scraped clean and then gutted. After this you need to summer them in stock to remove the fishiness. Finally, you can add seasonings and cook as you please. Of course, the cucumber still has its rubbery texture.

Why do we abhor eating certain things? And what does that say about us? According to Dunlop, many Chinese think dairy is disgusting. They say Westerners’ sweat smells like milk. It’s a fascinating divide. The author spends a lot of time wrestling with this question especially towards the end of the book. She feels lucky to have traveled as extensively as she has. Now that China’s doors are more open, many of the places she’s visited don’t exist anymore as old makes way for new. And her own tastes have changed. Before she would eat anything, particularly the exotic, just to try it. Meanwhile, more animals have become endangered and the Chinese, like Americans, grow to like eating meat on more than just holidays. Steroids and antibiotics are all introduced. Just this week, a report said that the Olympians traveling to Beijing this summer will bring their own food. Much of the food tested was so full of steroids that athletes would have failed the drug tests.

Overall, I found this book highly enjoyable. Dunlop’s enthusiastic writing makes you want to run out and get some Chinese. It prompted Mr. Bookdwarf and myself visiting Super 88 in Allston , where they have a large number of food stalls serving all sorts of yummy food. After reading passages out loud to him, Mr. Bookdwarf eagerly waited by my elbow as I finished the last five pages, so he could get his hands on the book. Now that’s a recommendation.

I Never Trusted that Grünlich!

I’m reading Thomas Mann’s Buddenbrooks right now. It’s so maddening! Poor Tony, so clueless, trying to do the right thing, even if she’s still so immature. I love this description of her:

She believed, without knowing it, that absolutely every character trait was a family heirloom, a piece of tradition, and therefore something venerable and worthy of her respect, no matter what/

What a perfect description! From the getgo, I didn’t like Grünlich—he seemed like an asskisser with an ulterior motive. I’m just at the part when (sorry for the spoiler) he’s gone bankrupt. Consul Buddenbrook has arrived in an attempt to save the day. He feels guilty for having pushed his daughter Tony into the marriage, as he should.

Perhaps there’s more to Grünlich than meets the eye. I left off at the end of Part Four, Chapter Seven. I can see why this novel is taught in English classes. There’s so much there.

Publisher Devotion

I had the good fortune over the last week to read a whole slew of books. Ah, the luxury of time! Two of the books came from the same press, which made me start thinking about how devoted readers can become to certain presses. Certain publishers have reputations in my mind. Graywolf, Milkweed, FSG–I trust them and will read a book given to me on blind faith that it possesses some excellence. That goes for Soft Skull and Counterpoint now. I’ve been a fan of a lot of Soft Skull books over the years. This year they had the smarts to publish Jamestown by Matthew Sharpe, one of my favorite books of the year. Now Counterpoint has taken over Soft Skull and I beginning to think that my love for Soft Skull might now extend to them as well. I read two of their forthcoming books and I’ve got to say I’m very excited about them.

First I read Bone Rattler by Eliot Pattison. This historical novel is so rich in details that you feel like you’re a fly on the wall observing the story. Set in colonial America, we follow Duncan McCallum as he travels aboard a British convict ship bound for the New World. Murder, suicide, and strange rituals on the journey force him into the role of investigator even as he is indentured to the land baron Lord Ramsey. Thrust into the middle of the French and Indian War, Duncan has to navigate not just the new territory but the wily ways in which those who control his destiny play with him. The New World almost seems like a character itself in this novel, the way the vastness of a land untouched by Europeans looms over the story. How scary the frontier must have been!

Next I read Lydia Millet’s How the Dead Dream, a book that follows T. a distant young real estate developer. As a child he discovers that he’s really good at making money and it provides him with relief. He becomes a developer in L.A. maintaining a lonely life. On impulse he adopts a dog that signals changes are about to happen. His mother shows up announcing that T.’s father has left her–he’s gay and moved to Florida–and promptly moves in with him. T. then meets Beth, a woman who finally understands him, but a tragedy leaves him alone again. While his mother begins to unravel, T. finds consolation breaking into zoos to spend time with endangered animals. Finally he goes to the jungle and ends up on a quest evocative of Heart of Darkness. Millet’s lyrical writing with bits of humor tossed made reading this book a dreamlike experience. I’ll try to post a few snippets of my favorite parts of the book tomorrow.

Genre Reading

I hear all kinds of stuff about genre books. On one side, they’re ghetto-ized, they’re neglected; on the other, they’re not serious, they’re not literature. I’m going to be a coward and ignore the debate. There are certain subjects I tend to avoid (paranormal romance, anything by Ann Coulter, etc), but I still consider myself an open minded reader. I do love reading a good sci-fi/fantasy. This week I’ve been lucky enough to pick up two excellent sci-fi fantasy books.

Our kids buyer Kari has mentioned her love for Robin McKinley repeatedly. She seems to be a a staff favorite. Recommends (those hand written shelf talkers you see in stores) have been written for Beauty, Blue Sword, Deerskin, and most recently Sunshine. I finally cracked under the pressure of so many fans and read Sunshine. I loved it. Rae “Sunshine” Seddon stars as a baker at her family’s cafe, comfortably ensconced in her life until one day she is abruptly kidnapped by vampires. Instead of finishing her off quickly, she finds herself chained to a wall next to another vampire, himself chained up. When he doesn’t eat her, she calls upon some long forgotten magic that helps them both escape. Now they’re connected and must join together again to fight off the malevolent forces once again. People might compare it to Buffy, but I think that’s slightly off. Sunshine isn’t a valley girl (I know Buffy wasn’t a valley girl. I faithfully watched the series. She was presented as a girl who could kick some ass but really wanted to shop, etc). She’s really more normal than Buffy. Anyway, I read feverishly read this book and hope that McKinley writes a follow up.

While in the middle of reading Sunshine, a copy of Naomi Novik’s latest in the Temeraire series, Empire of Ivory, arrived on my desk.  The Napoleonic wars plus dragons, how can you go wrong? I’m only half way through, but so far so good. It’s as gripping as the last three.

The Latest Reads

Once again, I’ve been plowing through some books. Here’s what I’ve been reading:

  • The Outlander by Gil Adamson– I’d describe this book as a crescendo. It starts out slow, even though you begin with the main character on the run from her two vengeful brothers-in-law in 1903 northern Canada. Mary is nineteen and already a widow–widowed by her own hand. Its dreamy and pretty brilliant.
  • An Incomplete Revenge by Jacqueline Winspear– The next installment in the Maisie Dobbs series, finds psychologist Dobbs investigating a series of crimes in the small rural community in Kent. I find this series soothing, as it’s always well-written, well-plotted, and full of an interesting cast of characters. Winspear didn’t disappoint with this latest.
  • The Silver Swan by Benjamin Black (aka Jon Banville)– Perhaps a stronger book than Christine Falls (itself a strong debut in mystery), Black writes for an audience that doesn’t need all the answers handed to them. We find a reluctant Quirke, a pathologist in 1950s Dublin, trying to make sense of the suspected murder of a young shop owner, investigating against his own instincts. Black doesn’t rely on clichés and switchback plots to keep the book going. I hope he continues to write such gripping books.

Long Weekends Rule

I’m back at work, slightly rested from my trip to Atlanta. Luckily, it was not too hot, rather it was pleasant and warm. I savagely consumed Benjamin Percy’s Refresh, Refresh. I started it as the plane took off and didn’t put it down until I finished the last page, even forgoing the paltry snack the flight attendant handed me. The strongest stories in the collection for me were ‘Meltdown’, a post apocalyptic tale about a man returning to the wasteland surrounding the nuclear power plant, and ‘The Woods’, a story about a father and son hunting in the woods. I normally don’t read that many short story collections. I read very fast and I find it hard to get into something that’s only 10 pages (this sounds silly I know, but it’s true for me). But this collection grabbed me. Maybe it’s how Percy writes about ordinary, worn down men (all of the main characters in the stories are men) being pushed out of their ordinary ruts by events or other people. I found it quite exhilarating.
On Sunday, I went with my family to the impressive Decatur Book Festival. I’ve never been to Decatur, which is near downtown Atlanta. They just finished major renovations to the town square and there’s lots of small stores and restaurants, including four independent book stores! I didn’t get a chance to visit any of them unfortunately. I can only find one online–Wordsmiths Books, which opened just last year. They’re housed in a rather neat old bank building post office. Anyway, we missed most of the authors and events, but it was nice to see such a large crowd even on the last day of the festival.

Away by Amy Bloom

I had some time yesterday, as I had to go down to the RMV to register the new bike I got last week. As always, the visit to the Registry of Motor Vehicles gave me over an hour of reading time while I sat waiting for my number to be called. Luckily I had the foresight to bring a copy of Amy Bloom’s new novel Away with me. Janet Maslin raved about this book last week, calling it “gloriously transporting” and “alive with incident and unforgettable characters”—all within the first two sentences mind you—among other things.

This is the story of Lillian Leyb, a 22 year old Russian immigrant, who finds herself on the streets of New York after her parents, husband and daughter are killed in one of Russia’s pogroms in the mid 1920s. Lillian takes charge and though she barely speaks English, she forges to the head of the line of seamstresses applying for jobs at the Goldfadn Yiddish Theatre. She becomes mistress to head actor Meyer Burnstein and also to his father Reuben, owner of the theater. When a long lost cousin arrives, bearing news that her daughter Sophie is still alive in Russia, only her friend tailor/actor/playwright Yaakov Shimmelman helps her begin the journey.

This is not another sad tale of immigrant experience in America. Most of the novel follows Lillian on her return journey to Russia. It’s sort of a reverse pilgrimage. Along the way, she meets all sorts of interesting characters who help her on her journey. Bloom also lets you know what happens to each character after Lillian leaves them, which is a nice touch. I found the novel completely engrossing—I forgot I was sitting at the RMV after all. It’s a remarkable book, not only because the book’s pace moves quickly enough to be called a page turner but also because Bloom employs gorgeous language throughout.

Mr. Bookdwarf Reads

Don’t judge Susan Gilman’s Hypocrite in a White Poufy Dress by its cover. Sure, the illustration is a little girl in a tutu and combat boots, and it screams “chick-lit.” The inside of the book, though, is smart and funny and has a universal appeal. Don’t judge it by the back of the book, either, which says Susan Jane Gilman is like a female David Sedaris.

Yes, there are romantic pitfalls and a supportive boyfriend she eventually marries, so it’s understandable that people would want to shelve it with vapid Bridget-Jones material. And any humorous autobiography of a neurotic kid with weird parents is bound to draw comparisons to Sedaris. But Gilman can stand on her own as an observer of life, as a humorist, and as a writer. I’d say it’s summer reading at its best: it’s sweet without being twee and smart without being ponderous.

Bookdwarf notes: I read this book too—it’s hilarious. I hate the description laugh out loud funny, but I did laugh. A lot. Out Loud.

Dominion by Calvin Baker

Maud Newton started discussing Calvin Baker’s novel Dominion last year. Since she made it sound so good and since Maud’s taste and mine are freakishly similar (her end of the year list overlaps might at least 6 times), I dutifully added it to my TBR pile, but it lingered there for a long time. Finally, right before I left for Bolivia, I started reading this book, but I had to put it down when I left, but I thought about it the entire time I was away. I mentioned before the books I read—only two of the four did I enjoy. How I wish I had Baker’s novel to finish! I picked it up the minute I got home, even though it was late and I hadn’t slept in about a day.

Jasper Merian, a newly emancipated slave, leaves behind his wife and son in Virginia at the beginning of the novel for the free territory in the west. There he begins to carve out a utopia in the Carolinas, building a thriving estate he calls Stonehouses, with the help of a new wife Sanne and their son Purchase. Eventually the son he left behind Magnus escapes upon the death of his mother. Magnus settles down on the farm, while Purchase, a blacksmith by trade, wanders the colonies in pursuit of a woman. Their son Caelum is sent to live at Stonehouses as the pair chase each other.

I find myself thinking about this book often, although I finished it weeks ago. Is it the archaic tone that Baker uses? The mix of myth and religion—the two are intertwined here—-parts of the novel feel like the Iliad and other parts feel biblical. Yet this style, which feels old, seems new too. Check this book out at your local book store. I hope you find it as captivating as I did.